Decatur, GA Noise Ordinances: Vehicle Noise (2026)
Key Facts
- Horn use
- banned except as a genuine danger signal
- Vehicle radio limit
- audible beyond 50 feet is unlawful
- Exhaust/muffler
- must prevent loud or explosive noise
- Enforcing code
- Code of Ordinances § 42-59
- Penalty section
- § 1-12 general penalty
- Exempt
- police and permitted public events (§ 42-60)
Summary
In Decatur, Georgia (DeKalb County), the noise ordinance bans blowing a vehicle horn except as a genuine danger signal, playing a car radio loud enough to be heard 50 feet away, and discharging vehicle exhaust without a muffler that prevents loud or explosive noise, all enforced under Code of Ordinances § 42-59.
(1)Blowing horns or signaling devices. The sounding or blowing of any horn or signal device on any automobile, truck, bus, motorcycle or other vehicle while not in motion, except as a danger signal if another vehicle is approaching apparently out of control, or if in motion only as a danger signal after or as brakes are being applied and deceleration of the vehicle is intended; the creation by means of any such signal device of any unreasonably loud or harsh sound; and the sounding of such device for any unnecessary and unreasonable period of time. ... b.The operating or playing of any radio, television, phonograph, musical instrument or similar device which produces or reproduces sound in a motor vehicle or public park in a manner as to be audible at a distance of 50 feet. ... (7)Exhaust discharge. To discharge into the open air the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motor vehicle or motor boat engine, except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
The City of Decatur, Georgia, a roughly four-square-mile municipality in DeKalb County east of Atlanta, regulates vehicle noise under Article III of Chapter 42 (Environment), not a separate traffic chapter. Section 42-59 lists 16 categories of "loud, disturbing and unnecessary noises" prohibited citywide. Item (1) bars sounding a vehicle horn or signal device while not in motion, except as a genuine danger signal warning of an out-of-control vehicle, or while braking; it also bars any unreasonably loud or harsh horn sound and sounding a horn for an unnecessary or unreasonable period.
Item (2)b separately bars operating a radio, television, phonograph or musical instrument in a motor vehicle (or public park) so that it is audible at a distance of 50 feet. Item (5) bars operating a vehicle so out of repair, or loaded, that it creates loud grating, grinding or rattling noise. Item (7) bars discharging exhaust from a motor vehicle, motor boat or stationary engine into the open air except through a muffler or other device that effectively prevents loud or explosive noises. None of these apply to police vehicles, city-contracted vehicles on public business, or a permitted public event, per the exemptions in section 42-60.
Because Decatur is surrounded by unincorporated DeKalb County addresses that also read "Decatur, GA," a vehicle noise complaint from those areas falls to DeKalb County's own code, not this ordinance.
Violations & Fines
A violation of any subsection of section 42-59 is punished as provided in the general penalty section, Code of Ordinances § 1-12, the same municipal-court penalty that applies across the noise article per section 42-56. Decatur police may issue a citation for a horn, stereo or muffler violation heard from the street or measured at the property line, and each vehicle stop is treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Decatur police ticket me for a loud car stereo?
Is it illegal to honk my horn in Decatur, Georgia?
What counts as an illegal exhaust or muffler under city code?
Does this ordinance apply if my mailing address says Decatur but I live outside the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
Compare Decatur to another location·View the Georgia noise ordinances overview
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